EMDR, Parts Work, Somatic Therapy

Your questions about holistic therapy: answered.

I call what I do “holistic” because where talk therapy tends to focus on talking, thinking and insight, holistic therapy also includes the unconscious mind and the body.

What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

This method links current stressors to past memories, allowing past memories to be re-processed so they impact the present with less intensity. Past memories are re-processed by using bilateral stimulation (eye movements or tapping).

Re-processing often includes identifying core negative beliefs about yourself.

These (often unconscious) beliefs often drive our repetitive choices more than our conscious thoughts do. Reprocessing the memories connected to the beliefs allows the brain to come to a different conclusion, which allows a deep inner change to occur.

After re-processing, people tend to feel more positively about themselves and their experiences. They report feeling like the past is in the past, and find more freedom to be themselves in the present.

EMDR is not a quick fix. It definitely can resolve things quickly in some cases or for some people. It does often help to shift things at a deeper level and more quickly than talk therapy. And sometimes, it takes time. EMDR works differently with each person. Our goal is to learn about and understand what your brain and body need and to find the flow that works.

EMDR can be beneficial for the following: trauma, abuse, phobias and specific fears, anxiety and over-thinking, self worth tied to achievement, self doubt, perfectionism and more.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN EMDR THERAPY

EMDR sessions proceed in phases. In the beginning, we help prepare you for the work. This phase can be a few sessions or long term. We introduce coping and grounding tools to make sure your whole system is ready to proceed.

We will identify memories that may be related to your current stressors, and together decide which ones to reprocess. When the time is right, we will re-visit these memories one at a time, taking a pace that makes sure not to overwhelm your nervous system.

We then generate plans for the future based on what shifts you have experienced, helping you move forward in your life in a new way.

Check out the EMDRIA website for more information: https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/

If you’re interested in what research has to say, here’s a link for that: https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/recent-research-about-emdr/

What is Parts Work?

There are various versions of “parts work”, like IFS, for example. I have learned a few versions (am IFS Informed). An oversimplified view is:

Different parts of you hold different aspects of your life experiences. Parts work can show us which wounds are still longing to be healed. It can help improve the relationship with yourself when there is stubborn inner conflict or a strong inner critic, and helps create more self compassion and self confidence.

Parts work can be extremely useful for a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and trauma.

SCHEDULE FREE CONSULTATION

What is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy invites us to be aware of how the nervous system responds to and holds on to stress.

Stress can refer to complex trauma (repeated stressors that take place over periods of time) or day to day stress.

Patterns of interacting get held in the nervous system, and tuning in to the body can help us understand those patterns, and learn what needs to happen to release the stress and find more ease.

You’re ready to dive deep, find more peace and move forward

Let's Get Started Today!